


We've Changed

by zaranami



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Dishonored 2, Dishonored 2 Spoilers, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, F/M, High Chaos (Dishonored), Human Outsider (Dishonored), Post-Dishonored 2 (Video Game), Post-Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:15:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28684683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zaranami/pseuds/zaranami
Summary: Finding herself visiting the abandoned mansion in Rudshore, Emily meets a friend who she never expected to see again.
Relationships: Emily Kaldwin & The Outsider, Emily Kaldwin/The Outsider, Emsider - Relationship
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Reunited

**Author's Note:**

> I'm looking forward to continuing this work, I've never done something with multiple chapters before. Enjoy!

The air was cold that night. Instead of being crammed under her warm bed sheets, Emily had snuck out of the tower. She would be at the edge of Rudshore, looking up at the tall abandoned mansion which she had discovered a couple of months ago. It felt so much more than just a few months though, Emily felt that the last time she had visited the mansion, she was a mere child, one who was filled with innocence and knew nothing of the real world. She specifically remembered writing about the place in her diary, how she would plan to visit it with Wyman, maybe turn it into a haunted house beforehand. Wyman. They barely wrote to each other anymore, not nearly as much as they used to. After the events involving Delilah, he claimed that something inside her had changed. That she wasn’t the same Emily whom he once knew.

At first, Emily was upset with him, but she came to realize that he was certainly right. She had become someone else. As much as Emily wanted to shake the thought off, she was here to revisit the past. She didn’t remember much from when she had last visited the abandoned mansion, but it seemed smaller. Halting at the large rusty gates, Emily easily far reached through a large gap in the center. She didn’t expect to find anything remarkable, it was most likely in the same condition just as she had last visited. Emily walked through the path where two large doors once sat, now it was just a door frame. She would take a quick glance around the inside, it heavily reminded her of Aramis Stilton's manor, but it wasn’t nearly as great.

“I was going to turn this place into a haunted house.” She would say to herself, furrowing her eyebrows as she made her way around the first floor. Emily felt odd, almost as if someone was there with her. She let her guard down, shaking her head. It was an abandoned mansion, not a shocker that it was giving her the creeps. Just as she was going to press on, Emily would hear shuffling behind her. In less than a second, she whipped her head back and pulled her half-butterfly knife, half-switchblade out. Her eyes danced around the room before landing on an old antique cabinet which had laid on the floor. It was where the sound seemed to come from. All of a sudden, a figure could be spotted crawling out from behind the cabinet, quickly shuffling onto its feet before scurrying off. It ran into the room where Emily had just come from.

Emily would grunt, chasing after the person. They had on a thick black cloak which slightly draped onto the floor from behind them as they ran. Once she made it back into the room where she originally was, Emily’s eyes shot up to the staircase, seeing the person already halfway up the stairs. She wasted no time, chasing after them quickly. Emily rushed up the stairs, they felt shaky and unstable. As if they’d break at any moment. One of her legs would press down against a step too hard, the thin wood would break instantly, gasping in surprise, Emily quickly pulled her leg back up, continuing the chase. Once she made it to the second floor, she would spot the stranger running down the long hallway. That was their first mistake, it gave her a clear shot at them. Emily reached her hand out, precisely aiming her far reach at them. Once releasing, the person would fly backwards. Emily would catch the stranger, choking them for a moment before throwing them to the floor. The hood of their cloak had fallen off from being tossed around by her. She slowly approached the person, her weapon ready in her right hand.

She would crouch down in front of the cloaked man, putting the blade of her sword against his neck. Though his hood had fallen off, Emily still couldn't see his face. He kept his head lowered on purpose. “Coward.” She would simply say, keeping her blade perfectly still. One wrong move and the stranger would have to deal with the same fate he did over a millennium ago. After what felt like an eternity of treacherous silence, he would speak. “It’s interesting, I never expected my own gift to be used against me…” The stranger would observe.


	2. A Tricky Consultation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Outsider and Emily delve deeper into conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy.

Emily was frozen in place like a statue, her mind was having trouble accepting the thought. It was indeed, the Outsider. Though his voice wasn’t nearly as ‘godly’, it was unmistakably him. She detested herself for reacting in such a way. She was not afraid of the Outsider back then, and she wasn’t now either. While all these thoughts were rushing through her head, Emily cut out all of her surroundings. She failed to notice the Outsider himself.

Smug as a god, smug as a human. Some things never seemed to change. The Outsider would smirk at her reaction, he carefully tipped down the blade on his throat with his pointer finger. He considered himself lucky for not being a victim to one of those brutal executions he once watched her do to enemies. “Speechless?” He presumed. Seeing she was still a bit taken aback, the Outsider took the time to sit up and dust himself off, still on the ground where she had thrown him. 

After finally reclaiming her thoughts, Emily would speak. Regardless of all her thinking, she had not much to say. “You…” She would barely voice. Her focus almost came back until she looked into his eyes once he finally raised his head. Emily expected to be met with those pitch black, melancholic eyes. She was stunned to find there to be pale green, glass like eyes instead. Not only that, the Outsider looked to be more frail, maybe alive even?

The Outsider wasn’t the only one who seemed dramatically different, Emily had changed too. Though her physical appearance remained the same, she gave off a sad and pained aura. Her eyes expressed ceaseless mourning. Not like how she used to be when they had first met. The world hadn’t been kind to her. The two of them both seemed to account for all the changes in one another, not uttering a single word. Time would pass, and Emily would eventually grab the Outsiders arm with a firm grip, pulling him up to his feet. 

Emily managed a sad chuckle, it left the Outsider confused. In spite of him knowing what empress’ next words would be, the way she pronounced them, it left the Outsider Intrigued. It was nothing out of the ordinary, her voice was calming and soft as it had always been, maybe he just missed her tender sounding way of speaking. He was human for long enough to understand what yearning for someone meant again. “So, you’re human again. How-” She would be quickly interrupted by him. “Billie Lurk.” The way he spoke made it clear he wasn’t interested in sharing the details, so Emily didn’t push it. 

The air seemed less rigid now that the two had gotten out their first few words. Emily would put her hand gently against the Outsiders cheek, looking into his eyes. It was so strange to see him like this. She was so close that he could nearly feel her breaths on his face. Emily had never touched him before, she doubted he would’ve ever let her do so. But, no longer was he a god. His eyes would dance around hers, the last he had seen the empress so curious was when he had first pulled her into the void, offering his mark to her. “You’ve changed. You look frail, your terrible eyes are gone, and….” She leaned her face moderately closer to his, whispering now. “You are vulnerable.” Emily would beam before backing off, her hand now back at her side. 

The two had many questions for one another, and they had yet to ask away. The Outsider would turn around, walking in the other direction. He headed down the hallway in which he originally was running for his life in. Emily would take the hint, following after him, joining his side. “You say I’ve changed, I could say the same about you. Not for a moment do I remember you being as violent as you are now or having such a sad glint in your eyes.” Emily would sadly smile at his words. “I don’t think anyone could come out of that the same. Not me, at least.” She referred to defeating Delilah, more so on killing everyone who came in her path. “I suppose I wasn’t clever enough to take back my throne without spilling a river of blood.” Emily reminded him, it was one of the first things he had told her. The Outsider watched her from the corner of his eye, tilting his head.

Were his words what upset her? Though he felt condolence, the Outsider didn’t act on it. He had a strong affinity towards the empress, he didn’t feel as such before. Instead of comfort, he offered her something else which could’ve maybe lifted her spirits. “Maybe it was for the better.” As corrupt and twisted as his words came out, they made her smile. He somehow managed to make Emily feel better about slaughtering dozens. 

“What is your cause for being here?” He would inquire. The two of them advanced down the hallway. Neither of them had the slightest idea as to where exactly they were headed. As all things, the hallway soon came to an. They both came to an abrupt halt, looking down below. It seemed that the once floor had broken down, below them being there a room. Emily would jump down, landing on the ground in a crouch. She would stand up before dusting her coat off. The Outsider would follow her movements, except he didn’t care much for dirtying his cloak. “There are a plethora of reasons.” She claimed. “I suppose if I were to narrow it down to one, it’d be that I’m reminiscing over the past.”

The Outsider gave her a nod before walking by her side to stand alongside her. Her eyes seemed to be entranced with the spinning of an old fashioned globe, spinning it with her palm whenever it threatened to stop. Although he didn’t know much of psychology itself, it was noticeable that she was avoiding his gaze. The Outsider would smile, suddenly getting an idea. He knew for a fact that she’d get a kick out of this one. He would place his hand on her shoulder which caused her to stop spinning the rusty globe.

“I have an idea.”


	3. Okay, and Then What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally back, sorry for the wait! I've decided that I won't be making any new Emsider fics (for now) until I finish this series. So I'll be adding new chapters to this for my next few works.

The two of them would stroll around the outskirts of the mansion, both pairs of eyes wandering around the unfamiliar site, taking in the strange beauty. The more Emily would think, it was only becoming increasingly apparent of how little the Outsider had told her about himself, but she was clever, she knew better than to squeeze it all out of him at once. Finally breaking the lack of eye contact she had been avoiding for so long, Emily turned to look at him, finding the Outsider to be consumed with his surroundings. From the looks of it, he wasn’t elaborating anytime soon on the _idea_ he had mentioned earlier. “So, an idea. You’ve led me all the way out here, what are you playing at?” Her tone was low and cautious, trust wouldn’t come easy. The Outsider would look back at her, his expression looking stuck. “In the void, I had plenty of time to think. My marked played by my rules, I could get back to them when I best saw fit. I’m starting to doubt coming here.” Normally, seeing the Outsider flustered would be an amusing sight to witness, but the empress had no glee to spare. She couldn’t understand his point for the life of her, maybe he didn’t have one. “I hope you don’t expect me to understand.” She sounded defeated. “I don’t _expect_ anything from you.” He lied.

“You need time to think. After all, you _are_ human.” There was no emotion in her voice, just stating the obvious. The truth stung him harder than it should’ve, but he kept a straight face. The Outsider wasn’t ready to open up, and he knew it would be like this for some time to come. Faint lights far beyond lit up the sky dimly, there was nothing else besides the lights, making it a challenge to see. Twigs and dry leaves crunched below their feet, just barely keeping the air from having any more of an awkward silence than it already did. “Where are you staying?” She wanted to push further and ask if it was safe, holding herself back for unknown reasons. It took the Outsider a moment, his eyes slowly darting to the side as if he were coming up with an answer on the spot. “The Estate District.” He was on the verge of mumbling. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh? Th-” He was quick to interrupt her. “In an unoccupied building.” That answered her earlier question, safe by no means. Emily furrowed her eyebrows, clearly frustrated. His frail appearance, shaky hands, pale face, they agitated her. The thought at the back of her head was practically screaming at her to be considered, she was trying to find a reason to do so, to listen. Losing the battle against herself, a short sigh escaped her lips.

“The tower. You can stay at Dunwall Tower.” Her voice was firm, it was clear she had made up her mind. The Outsider would stop walking, Emily pausing next to him. He turned to fully face her, not a hint of consideration on his face. They were both stubborn, it came down to who had a stronger will. “Is this really what you want, empress? The Outsider living among the walls of your home.” He was almost frowning, his pale green eyes displaying most of his emotion. “What I want is for you to tell me how you ended up like this, and to live peacefully for what days you have left.” She argued back. The Outsider let out a weak chuckle. “And then?” He sneered. Emily was left confused, pushing further. “And then…?” She spoke with a curious tone. He sighed. “You take me into your castle, listen to the only thing I have left to spare, **my story** , and then what?” She pressed her lips together tightly, huffing. “I haven’t thought that far.” She lost, this time. There were no more leaves or twigs crunching, just silence, maybe the sound of flowing water, it was hard to tell. They could no longer see each other's expressions, the dim lights doing them justice no more. In a sense, they were both stuck, and with all her effort, Emily couldn’t understand why he declined her offer. Their perspectives were like day and night.

The Outsider really had not considered her offer in the slightest, his mind clouded with whispers from the void and the sheer thought of Emily. He would be able to share things with the world, _change it_ , and these changes wouldn't be viewed badly without second thought, because nobody would view him as the Outsider anymore. All this and he would be safe, no one coming for his head. “Okay.” He caved in. “Okay?” Emily questioned. “I accept your offer.” The Outsider looked to the side. Her eyes would light up like that of a child when receiving a box of chocolates. Adjusting her demeanor, she spoke again. “What made you change your mind?” Pausing for a moment, he offered her an aloof answer. “I want to last longer than two days.” It wasn’t what Emily was looking for, but he had already pleased her enough, not wanting to push the boundaries any further, not in a single day. There was still a lot to work though, something which was inhabiting both their minds was how the Royal Protector would receive the news. Emily would walk ahead, he didn’t follow after her. Pausing, she would turn around.

“I’m guessing you don’t have much experience with jumping over rooftops.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm sorry for the wait :^^ Motivation is hard to find sometimes. I really hope you liked this chapter! Don't forget to subscribe to this work if you'd like to receive an email when I add new chapters :)

**Author's Note:**

> I'll most likely be adding onto this in a few days, I'm flooded with other work related things right now. Please do leave a comment or kudos if you're liking this work so far! :)


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